Table saws are a type of woodworking machinery used to cut workpieces of wood, plastic and other materials. Table saws include a flat surface or table with a circular saw blade extending up through a slot in the table. A user slides a workpiece on the table against and past the blade while the blade is spinning to cut the workpiece.
Of all the tools in a woodworking shop, table saws present perhaps the greatest risk of injury. Table saws present a risk of injury to users because the spinning blade is often exposed when in use. The blade cuts very quickly and can sever a finger upon the slightest slip or misplacement. Accordingly, safety features or systems have been developed to minimize the risk of injury. Probably the most common safety feature is a blade guard that physically blocks a user from making contact with the spinning blade. In many situations, blade guards effectively reduce the risk of injury; however, there are many instances where the nature of the operations to be performed precludes using a guard that completely blocks access to the blade.
There exists a need for a table saw with a safety system that significantly reduces the risk of serious injury to a user accidentally contacting the spinning blade. The present invention provides such a table saw.